SUMMERSIDE – Ralph MacDonald isn’t happy with the types of prizes awarded at the 55+ games.
These medals, or whatever you want to call them, are embarrassing. He knows what happens to them when you get home, he said.
“Seniors as I know them, like a lot of people, are not interested in a cord that goes around your neck with a fob on the end. They’re interested in money.”
He spoke with Valerie Vuillemot, the executive director of the 55+ games, about his concerns.
“They don’t seem to have any intention of changing the system.”
There are 600 people paying $10 each. They are taking in $6,000 and only have one employee and pay one salary to Vuillemot, he said.
“I told her, you’d get a lot more people if you had minimal prizes. We have games in a smaller way and have three winners. You’re not paying everybody.
“It’s $10 per person. That’s not very much money. But, they don’t seem to want to do that.
“Everybody is of the same consensus that I am. Changes need to be made.”
In an email to the Journal Pioneer, Vuillemot confirmed she did speak with MacDonald about the matter, but noted his version isn’t an accurate reflection of the situation.
Two years ago, organizers surveyed participants and one of the questions was about the prizes. They got a variety of answers including the suggestion of cash prizes. However, 88 per cent of the respondents wanted to keep the medals, have pins or didn’t respond.
“We do give out 300 medals at a winter games and it would not be fiscally feasible to switch to cash prizes.”
She noted they are a not-for-profit organization run by a volunteer board of directors who are all seniors from across P.E.I. They hold open general meetings and issue public invitations to all of the participants to attend.
Their reports, which include a financial statement, are published on their website, she said.
“Although we try to provide our information to all the senior’s clubs on the Island, the clubs are not our members. We are not affiliated with the P.E.I. Senior’s Federation, though that is a common misconception.”
